Razor stropper



Dea. il, 1934.

H. L.. DAzEY RAZOR sTRoPPER l -Sheet l Filed March 2, 1932 2 Sheets DeaM, 1934. y HL, DAZEY A1,91%?739 RAZOR ySTRPPER Filed March 2, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE YRAZOR S'IRorrlmy lHarry L. Dazey, Clayton, Mo. Application March 2,1932, Serial No. 596,204

4 Claims.

hereinafter disclosed.

An object ci the invention is to provide a convenient and compact devicefor stropping razor blades of the safety razor type, which includesspaced stropping members designed. to reciprocate in opposite directionsator, whereby the from a single actublade edge is alternately f stroppedin one direction and then in the other,

the edges or the bla de alternating with thereciprocation of thestropping means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a razor stropper in whichthe stropping elements are interchangeable t o present stroppingsurfaces such, for example, as

leather in one instance and a honing stone in another instance.

Another object of the'invention is to equip a device of the classdescribed with adjusting means whereby the tension the stropping elementmay set.

Additional` advantages of the blade against be predetermined or of theconstruction will to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description, taken in connection with the whichaccompanyingdrawings, in

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the case in which the stropping mechanism ismounted.

the same element'.

Fig. 3 is a plan view with the case cover in extended position.

Fig. l is a section o n the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on the Fig. 'l is a plan view of line 6-6 ci' Fig.2. a supporting frame removed from the structure.

n Fig. 8 is a side view FigQQ is a detail stropping element.

Fig. 10 is a view o of the saine element. view oi the frame for the fthe stropping element removed from the frame.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, theconstruction is shown as includingV a substantially rectangular casehaving a bottom section 1 and a top section 2 hinged at 3 and arrangedto be latched together by a latch mounted in brackets 9 formed at thejunction of i ment.

the arms of the members 'l'. The inner face of the bottom wall of thecase is formed with spaced lugs 10 on either side, and the lower edgesof the members 5 and 6 are arranged to seat in the channel formed bysaid lugs. Leaf springs 11 attached to the inner face of the top of thecase are positioned so that their free ends bear against the top face ofthe members 5 and 6 and thus hold the frame in position in the case. Themember 5 is provided with a horizontal slot 12, and each of the members5 and 6 has cylindrical openings 13 therethrough forming bearings forthe blade holder.

The blade holder comprises a cylindrical hub 14 and a semi-cylindricalsection l5 having a flat plate on which there are a number of studs 16arranged to project through the holes in the razor blade 17. The sectionconstitutes one half of a cylindrical shaft, which includes the hub 14,the member 15 and a semi-cylindrical section 18, the inner face of whichis concave so that, while the section 18 remains stationary with thehub, the section-l5 may be drawn outwardly through an opening 19 in theside wall of the case. The device may be loaded with the blade,therefore, by withdrawing the member l5, seating the blade on saidmember with the studs 16 extending into the openings in the blade, andthe member 15 then moved inwardly into alinement andregistrationwith theupper section 18- of the shaft. Extending longitudinally through themembers 5y and 6, respectively, and projecting at each side thereof arerods 20 and 21. The rods 20 are in horizontal alinement and spaced fromthe `rods 21, which are also in horizontal aline- The upper rods 20constitute a support for the upper frame and the rods 21 constitute asupport for the lower frame.

The frames in which the stropping elements are supported arev duplicatein' construction, 40 which construction will be best understood byreference tol Figs. ,9 andI 10. These trames nclude a rectangular member22 having lugs 23 formed at each' corner, the lugs on each side of theframe having alinedopenings adapted to be mounted over and' to slideupon the rods 20 and 21, respectively;

Within theA frame 22 a stropping element -is mounted. The stroppingelement per se includes 50 an intermediate plate 24 upon the oppositeside or" which is secured a stropping medium; for example, a layer ofleather 25 is secured toI one face of the plate 24 and a layer of honingstone 26 is securedA to the' opposite face of the plate. 55

The plate projects beyond the edge of the layers 25 and 26 and isadapted to be seated in and secured within the frame 22, for example, byspring pins 27 extending through opposite side walls of the frame andseating into appropriate recesses in the plate 24. The stropping elementmay, therefore, be removed from the frame and reversed in order to bringeither the leather layer 25 or the honing stone layer 26 into operativeadjustment with the blade.

The frames, asV above indicated, are mounted on the rods 20 and 21respectively, the upper frame on the rods 20 and the lower frame on therods 2l. The bearings 23 of the frame are on opposite sides of themembers 5. and l6, so

that the frames may reciprocate with a parallel rectilinear motion; thatis to say, the frames' move in a parallel plane to and fro upon` thesupporting frame of the device in opposite directions.

The actuator for the movement of the frame comprises a handle 28connected to and extending upwardly from the upper frame, the handle 28operating in a slot 29 in the top wall of the case. The surface of thewall of. the case surrounding the slot 29 is preferably channeled toforni the recess 30, so that the top face of the handle will be withinthe general top plane of the case. It is obvious that the handle may bereadily engaged by the operator and moved back and forth in the slot 29,thus imparting to the upper frame a reciprocating motion. Thisreciprocating motion of the upper frame is utilized to move, at thesaine time, the lowerV frame in Vthe opposite direction. The connectionbetween the frames includes flexible members 31 in the form of wires orbands connected to the upper and lower frames and extending respectivelyover the rollers 8.

In order to reverse the angular position of the blade holder with eachreciprocation of the frames, actuating means for the shaft that supportsthe blade is provided. It will be noted particularly by reference toFig. '7 that the ends of ythe blade supporting shaft extend beyond themembers 5 and 6, respectively. A generally U- shaped spring 32 isconnected at its intermediate section to the upper frame and, in theembodi- 1 ment shown, by a stud 33 that projects through the wall of theframe and supports the handle 28. The free ends of the spring member eX-tend laterally of the frames and bear against the extending ends of theblade supporting shafts, respectively. The frictional engagement betweenthe free ends of the spring and the shaft rock the shaft in conformitywith the direction of movement of the frames. The upper and lower edgesof the blade are, therefore, brought alternately into contact with thestropping surface of the upper and lower stropping elements.

In order that the angular position of the blade may be reversed beforethe stropping elements are moved in a reverse direction, it should benoticed that the stud 23 that supports the spring element is mounted ina slot 34 in the frame of the upper stropping element and, therefore,that there will be a movement of the spring in the reverse directionbefore the stud contacts with the edge of the slot and moves the frame.This initial movement ofthe spring before the movement of the framereverses the angular position of the blade, so that the edge of theblade will be in the proper relationship to the stropping element beforethe stropping element moves in the reverse direction. This obviouslywill occur at each end of the stroke of the frame as there will be aninitial movement of the stud and the spring before the stud serves tomove the stropping element frame.

In order to determine the degree of pressure of the blade edge with thestropping surface, the tension of the free ends of the spring member maybe regulated by a small set screw 35 that extends through the bottom ofthe case, the inner end impinging against the spring blades. Thus, theextent of frictional engagement of the spring member with the shaftsupporting the blade may be controlled to exert a heavy or light tensionof the blade with the stropping elements.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that I haveprovided a compact and efficient stropper in which the stroppingoperation is performed by the alternate contact of the blade edges withthe upper and lower stropping members, and in which the stroppingmembers move in true horizontal planes with the blade presented to thestropping surfaces at an obtuse angle, so that the blade may besharpened uniformly and rapidly. It will also be observed that thecharacter of the stropping medium may be readily changed by reversingthe stropping means in the frame, so that the blade may be honed on ahoning stone surface and then finished on a stropping leather surface.

I am aware that the invention may be modiiied within the limits of theappended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame,rollers mounted at opposed points in the frame, a rocking shaftintermediate of said rollers, means for connecting a blade with saidrocking shaft, reciprocating stropping devices mounted above and belowsaid frame, flexible members connecting said stropping elements andoperating on said rollers, a handle for imparting movement to one ofsaid frames and thereby moving the other frame in the oppositedirection, and a resilient bar connected with one of said frames andbearing against the rocking shaft for actuating said rocking shafttobring the blade supported thereby into alternate engagement with saidstropping elements.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support,stropping elements mounted for reciprocating movement in said support,means connected with one of said stropping elements for reciprocatingthe stropping elements, a rocking blade holder between said stroppingelements, a spring tension device for actuating said blade holderincident to the movement of said stropping elements, and means foradjusting the tension of said device to predetermine the degree ofimpingement of the blade against the stropping elements. y

3. A razor blade stropper comprising in combination stropping elementsarranged in parallel planes and movable in reverse directionsalternately, connecting means whereby the elements are moved in unison,a razor blade holder mounted for rocking position between said stroppingelements, and a slidable member for initially changing the angle of saidblade holder to bring opposite edges of the blade into contactrespectively with said elements, and by a loose connection therewith tolater engage and move one of said elements. v

4. A razor blade stropper comprising in combination stroppng elementsarranged for reciproeating movements in opposite directions and inparallel planes, connecting means whereby the elements are moved inunison, a rocking blade holder supported between the stropping elements,and a spring tension device for actuating said blade holder byreciprocaton of the device, said device having a loose connection withone of said elements whereby its reciprocaton will initially rock saidsupport and then engage said element to move it and thereby toreciprocate both elements. 4

HARRY L. DAZEY.

